More and more electrical devices make use of lithium batteries, because of their high energy density. However, pure lithium is a highly-reactive substance as Professor Fry recently demonstrated on BBC TV. Thus the lithium-ion battery has to be carefully designed and manufactured. Even the biggest companies have been caught out in the early days of their wider use, as Panasonic and Sony found to their cost. They are now reassuringly safe - as long as they are not severely damaged, as for instance in a refuse crusher.
Several local authority environmental departments and fire services, such as Lancashire's, have therefore mounted campaigns to make users more aware of the need to dispose of those devices safely and only after they are no longer capable of being recharged.
However, concentration of recycling at one centre which may not be easily accessible other than by private vehicles does not encourage safe disposal by residents, especially in large council areas such as Neath Port Talbot's. This is something our new coalition administration should look at.
No comments:
Post a Comment